Jumbo Options Released

©CNEEBPT 2016

CNEEBPT’s Balkerne Watertower options appraisal report is released.

The Trust has now released the Jumbo Options Appraisal that has been written to establish the most feasible uses and method of saving this iconic historic monument.

A large body of expertise has been applied in this work but the Trust now wish to hear the views of local people. Therefore the release of the report coincides with a Public Consultation and Exhibition event to be held on 20th and 21st May – details of which appear on this web site.

©CNEEBPT 2016

Please download your copy of the report here, or click on the images above.


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7 responses to “Jumbo Options Released”

  1. Anthony Borges avatar

    We hope to attend the exhibition but in case this isn’t possible I should like please to make comment here:
    We favour option 4: a restaurant in the sky. An aspirational restaurant for an iconic building with views of our town. I would propose it has the timeline story of jumbo around the restaurant’s perimeter under glass to protect the documents, with historic notes, drawings, photos etc, additionally a pay-telescope on a swivel to admire the town. The idea being this is in effect a museum-restaurant in one. The trouble with option 2a is the ground level position for the restaurant, which in our mind misses the point – and the views! The restaurant would ideally be for fine-dining, an attraction linked to the theatre, lighted at night and with some sort of activity in the courtyard around it, like an ice rink or a town platform for buskers, actors and poets, alongside a cafe with chairs and tables outside continental style. With correct lighting and the right mix of activity and entertainment this could be a buzzy upmarket place and a big draw. Final though

    1. David Balcombe avatar
      David Balcombe

      Thank you, Anthony. Your comments are really helpful and interesting.
      CNEEBPT

  2. Anthony Borges avatar

    Continued
    A final thought: Soft lighting for the area extended to incorporate St Mary’s Art Centre would bring another great venue and source of entertainment adding further to what could be a great attraction as a whole.

  3. Brian Light avatar

    What an excellent idea to have a comments column on the website. On the options themselves, I think each of the preferred ones has pros and cons and neither will be perfect. For our general comments on the study so far please see http://www.savejumbo.org.uk/

  4. Helen Wolf avatar
    Helen Wolf

    The Engineer’s Room looks like a fantastic space for a restaurant and Anthony Borges’ restaurant in the sky sounds inspirational. the cost implication of fine dining could well be prohibitive. It seems to me that Jumbo should be there for all, not just to see from a distance, but to see the distance from. At present, I favour Option 2a because it is the most inclusive and does indeed offer more scope for education. The inclusion of a lift as far as the Engineer’s Room will meet DDA requirements and I suspect that most people with limited mobility will find this acceptable. However, there would be drawbacks to a ground level restaurant, not the least of which is the need to ‘fill in’ the ground floor. And despite the detail provided, I have problems visualising how it might. I look forward the next stage.

  5. Sam avatar
    Sam

    Cafe in the bottom, museum in the top is what I think would get the best of both worlds. Open access and respects the heritage whilst raising some funds (hopefully) to help pay for it all. A cafe on the site ran or leased by the Museum trust would surely make a fair bit.

    1. David Balcombe avatar
      David Balcombe

      Thank you for your thoughts, Sam. We too think that a combination of heritage interpretation and commercial activity would make the best use of the available spaces that will ensure the financial sustainability of the project.
      Please keep checking the website for news of progress.

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